Lessons in Ineloquence
by Birisu
Summary: Quistis and Seifer in seven conversations. ' Hello, Seifer. Become a SeeD yet? '
1. moderato

**A/N: **Seifer and Quistis are from the not-too-incredible game FFVIII, which is a pity considering that it came from Square-Enix. Now you're probably wondering why I'm constantly churning out fanfiction about a not-too-incredible game in the first place. To answer this, I must first explain that FFVIII is not-too-incredible (in _my _opinion) simply because games like FFVII and FFIX are too awesome in comparison. Next, I tend to write fanfiction about characters who aren't already fully fleshed-out and developed in a series because there's a lot more room for speculation. Since FFVIII boasts characters with loads of physical detail and sadly next-to-none development wise... you get the idea.

Quistis and Seifer are two characters which had plenty of potential in-game, but somehow, the story dropped their progress as characters quite abruptly. Incidentally, I've always been able to see the two becoming a couple, and that explains this fic - my first attempt at imagining a romantic relationship between the two. Am I done yet? Yes. Enjoy the fic (it is set exactly post-game and can also be considered as a string of drabbles), and reviews are really welcome. (:

* * *

**lessons in ineloquence**

**#01: m o d e r a t o**

"Hello, Seifer. Become a SeeD yet?"

Seifer Almasy, who had been on the verge of walking past Quistis without so much as a glance, stopped in his tracks, a glass of cocktail in his hand.

"Last I heard, someone around here wasn't in authority anymore to be excused for using that damned tone on me."

Quistis smiled as Seifer finally turned around. She hadn't seen him in a long time, since that day she'd faced down with him with Squall and the rest in Galbadia Gardens; it felt refreshing, for some reason. "Oh, excuse me; you're part of the disciplinary committee and I'm _only_ a SeeD cadet."

"_You_…"

Seifer marched towards Quistis, spilling a little of his drink as he did so. He looked ready to hit her, but evidently thought better of it as he remembered the hundreds of SeeD students and cadets mingling around them, their voices and laughter rising to the tall ceiling. Abruptly, he turned and began to leave.

It occurred to Quistis that bickering with Seifer was probably not the nicest thing to do at a merry occasion, let alone an occasion that was meant to commemorate the saving of the world by herself and her friends; but she had been so pleased at seeing Seifer again, no matter how much he used to get on her nerves. Seifer was just one more bit of a past that had increasingly become more of a stranger as they all zoomed around the world.

And now here she was, back home, having come full circle.

"You look happier, Seifer."

He turned. He looked every bit as surprised as Quistis was for having said it.

"You too," Seifer said carefully, after a pause.

"I guess traveling through time and space did me a bit of good, then," Quistis mused, gazing at a point above Seifer's left ear.

"Yeah? Even with _that_ couple as your companions?" Seifer jerked his chin nastily towards the romancing couple at the balcony some distance away. There Squall and Rinoa embraced, lost to the world.

This time Quistis barely managed to contain her surprise. After a while she lapsed into a tight, wry smile. "I guess everyone knows by now."

"You were kind of obvious," Seifer offered. "But I wouldn't say that _everyone_ knows about how you've got the hots for Leonhart."

"That's a crude way of putting it, Seifer, but seeing as you seem to have become nicer lately, I'll refrain from remarking on your hypersensitivity to Squall's name. Especially where Rinoa's concerned."

Seifer's eyes darkened. "You done yet, you annoying killjoy?"

"Sorry if you're angry, I was just voicing my concern…" Quistis had no idea why she was mercilessly baiting him so. "Number one guideline in a SeeD handbook: read your _enemy_'s motives accurately. Remember?"

Seifer lifted the glass to his lips and gulped the whole lot, throwing Quistis a dirty glance as he swaggered off. "One of these days, Quistis, I'm gonna cut out that nasty tongue of yours," he called over his shoulder. Quistis watched him until he was lost in the crowd, then returned to sipping her own drink, alone watching the masses, with her back to a pillar.

* * *

**_(at a moderate speed)_**


	2. poco a poco

**A/N: **FFVIII and its characters are property of Square-Enix. I have to extend my gratitude my thanks to the people who took the time to read and especially review this fic. It's encouraging that there are people out there who share my opinions on this game, so thank you very much, my two anonymous reviewers. And _irishais_, thanks so much for your support for not only this fic of mine but others as well. Your comment on Seifer's first line in the previous chapter reflected my opinion entirely, but I'm somehow unable to get the right words out. Hehe.

As it is, I really hope not to disappoint you, but here's a friendly reminder that each chapter I'm churning out is semi-drabblish, involving (somewhat) short conversations between Quistis and Seifer as their relationship progresses. This fic is probably _not_ plot-driven and I'll leave the time lapse between events open for speculation. Hopefully it _will_ still meet your expectations in some way. Please drop a review to let me know what you think!

I'll explain my rationale for this portrayal of Quistis in the next chapter... probably...

**

* * *

**

**lessons in ineloquence**

**#02: p o co - a - p o c o**

"Good afternoon, Seifer."

Seifer had been on the verge of storming into another door somewhere near the end of the corridor, but now he stopped to stare incredulously at the ex-teacher who stood with her back against the wall of the submarine. "What the heck? Why're you here? And aren't you sick of using that pretentious teacher-tone yet?"

"Assisting with the exam." Quistis folded her arms, a wry half-smile on her face. "I'm shocked, Seifer. You actually piggybacked your teammate all the way here. You do have compassion for fellow homo-sapiens, after all."

"In case you haven't tired of labeling me 'Monster' yet, Quistis, I'll remind you that I do retain so-called ties-of-humankind with Fujin and Raijin." His tone was less sharp than what Quistis had been used to. He was probably tired, judging from the way he half-slammed and leaned into the wall adjacent to Quistis'.

"The rest of your disciplinary committee, yes. You know, this is the first time I've heard you mention them in an almost-appreciative manner."

A girl in braids and an exceptionally-short skirt burst into the area before Quistis could hear Seifer's reply. Her face was streaked with tears and mascara smudges. Quistis watched, half-amused, as the overly-emotional girl began demanding from Seifer a report of the state of her wounded fellow teammate. The latter gave it in a highly-annoyed tone, and as the girl began weeping again out of gratitude, a vein in Seifer's neck bulged dangerously. Finally, the girl left, and Seifer rolled his eyes towards the ceiling.

"That useless bitch and her equally-useless boyfriend," he growled maliciously.

Quistis smiled inwardly. Seifer Almasy had changed. She thought she would never be around to see that day arrive, but it had. If he had been the way he was just a year ago, nothing would have prevented him from giving the girl a hard shake and telling her exactly how _little_ he thought of her in as impolite terms as possible. "Seifer," she spoke after a long pause, "why was it obvious?"

He stared at her, comprehension rising to his eyes only after a few seconds, and then snorted. "I can't believe you've still been thinking about that. You're even more pathetic than I thought, you know?" He turned away slightly. "It was the way you always looked at him with that mushy look in your eyes."

"Do you believe me when I say I'm happy at this point in my life?"

"How should I know, man? Different people see happiness differently. Sometimes it's all in the mind, and I'm not even gonna guess what's in that weird _female_ brain of yours."

"Do you believe that contentment equals happiness? Because I dare to say that I'm contented. I'm earning my keep, I've got a number of really close friends and I work - _live_ - in a vibrant and compassionate place. And I've been part of the team that saved the world!" She gave a little laugh. "There's nothing more I would ask for. It's just that I still feel sad and frustrated about Squall. But sadness and frustration's all part and parcel of life, right? If sadness and frustration are enough to tip the scales in favour of 'not happy', then no one would ever be happy, right?"

There was a long pause. Finally Seifer said, with narrowed eyes, "This whole happiness and sadness issue is crap, since I don't really understand why you can say you're happy when you have to keep questioning it yourself."

Seifer's unexpectedly insightful comment jarred Quistis to the bone. It took a long while for her to laugh and say, "I can't believe it… I actually tried to strike up a philosophical conversation with Seifer." She brushed her hair out of her eyes. "I must be losing it."

"You sure don't sound so professional anymore, mam. Eh? What is it _again_, you wimpy _wuss_?" For the girl-in-braids had just run in once again.

* * *

**_(little by little)_**


	3. allargando

**A/N: **Refer to previous pages for the standard disclaimer. Here's the third chapter of this SeiferxQuistis fic, and once again I hope you enjoy it enough to drop a kind/constructive review. I hope no one finds my portryal of Quistis too OOC. I've always felt that Quistis was an extremely repressed character in FFVIII; she turned to Squall for solace and found none, and had to make way for Rinoa to enter Squall's heart instead. She's always struck me as very insecure, and we all know that insecurity can affect behaviours negatively. And at the end of the game, while Seifer'd come to terms with himself (of course, the process was left to our own imagination), I never actually got the feeling that Quistis had her own happy ending too.

So I guess that explains this fic. On to the chapter. (:

* * *

**lessons in ineloquence**

**#03: a l l a r g a n d o**

"Congratulations, Seifer. You're now a SeeD; I'll have to constantly remind myself that I'm no longer your superior."

They had run into each other just outside the cafeteria. Seifer rolled his eyes and said airily, "That's funny, Quistis, I always saw you as the outstandingly inferior one."

"Hm, you're becoming cheeky, Seifer." She held out her arm. "Let's get to the cafeteria. My treat."

Seifer was eyeing her suspiciously; Quistis saw it and laughed. "I don't have an ulterior motive, if that's what you were wondering. I gave Squall a treat after he passed his exam too."

"When did I get relegated to the same level as _Squall_?" Verbal consent or not, he was walking alongside her in the same direction now.

"You didn't," Quistis replied matter-of-factly. "It's just something I do for people I know."

"Do you have to be so damn responsible and nice to everyone when you really aren't?"

Quistis felt as though she had been slapped. The unfairness of Seifer's last sentence formed a cold, tight knot in her stomach. Why had he said that? She could not figure it out. "That's really brilliant, Seifer, coming from _you_."

Seifer smirked as they reached the cafeteria and he slipped into the nearest chair. "Touched a nerve, didn't I? Talk about hypersensitivity." He leaned back, a smug look on his face, wearing that age-old expression of his that had long ago cost Quistis _such_ patience to refrain from pummeling him. "Say, Instructor… everything's gonna be on you, right?" He waved Quistis on towards the stalls. "Get on with it and don't keep me waiting."

Quistis cursed and regretted deeply her decision (what _had_ possessed her?) to treat this overly-egoistic young man. Thankfully, the queue was short and before long she plunked down a heavily-laden tray before Seifer.

"Gee lookie, it's pigtailed-girl feeding sausages to chicken-wuss again," Seifer remarked in a high-pitched, singsong tone as he caught sight of that semi-couple sitting some tables away from them. He bit into a sandwich without as much as a 'thanks' to Quistis.

Half-infuriated, half-pondering, Quistis sucked at her straw and mused, "I wonder if Rinoa and Squall do that, too."

She hadn't meant to say that; the words had simply slipped out of her mouth. Seifer looked at her. "No. You pretty much know that too."

Quistis gave some nervous laughter. "Yes, Squall would never let her. That aside, though, I'm sure he treats Rinoa perfectly... Lucky girl, I'm happy for her." She paused. "What if Squall _doesn't _treat Rinoa well? What would _you_ do?"

Seifer folded his arms and sat back. "_Nothing_," he replied carelessly, looking in another direction. "This is lame."

"Now that's being petty, isn't it? You're angry at her for choosing Squall, for leaving you, so you get your revenge by leaving her to her fate."

Like before, Quistis had no idea why those words tumbled so readily from her mouth. From somewhere within her, she felt a hopeless want to one-up Seifer, as he had so easily (and perhaps unconsciously) one-up her the way he had earlier, onboard the submarine.

Without warning, Seifer stood up, shoving his chair back. The chair scraped against the floor, making a screeching sound. Dozens of pairs of eyes rested upon Seifer as his eyes flashed.

"Point number one, Quistis Trepe, is that _she_ didn't leave _me. We_ left each other, or, if you're still serious about demonizing me, _I _left _her_. She's no longer in my life, so should I really give a shit about what happens to her? Besides, that girl's pretty damn capable of taking care of herself. Point number two is that even if I _am_ petty, how's that gonna be worse than the way _you_ pine away for Squall? It's disgusting. One moment you're saying that you're happy for Rinoa, and in the next breath you imagine her ill-treated by Squall. You're bloody hypocritical, Quistis."

She stared at him, speechless.

"Well, I've lost my appetite. You can save this whole damned lunch for yourself." Dozens of shocked eyes trailed him all the way out of the cafeteria.

**x x x**

"…You're still here."

The food was untouched, and rested in its initial position on the tray. Quistis was stirring her drink absently. The ice cubes had all melted, and she found the drink very bland indeed, but she continued drinking.

"You came back anyway."

"Don't be mistaken. I merely needed a drink."

She held out his drink to him; it would be just as tasteless as hers.

"You were wrong, Seifer. When I imagined Rinoa being ill-treated, I just wanted to have some reason to not love Squall as much."

* * *

**_(broadening_)**


	4. cantabile

**A/N: **Standard disclaimer applies. I'm not in the mood for rambling today, so I'll just be to the point - thank you, reviewers, especially _Quisty Almasy, _because you helped me to express everything I wanted to express,and _Dead Pollen, _although you probably won't be seeing this. You're right in saying that I'll probably appreciate FF8 so much more if I actually gave it a chance, and to be honest, that's what I was doing from the beginning. But I _did_ find a lot more to love about FF8 than I had already on my third time through the game recently. I DO love this game. A lot, in fact. Or I wouldn't bother writing fanfiction for it.

And yes, I AM a musician of sorts... hehe. That said... welcome to the fourth chapter (:

* * *

**lessons in ineloquence**

**#04: c a n t a b i l e**

"Oh, hey, Quistis. Found a new place to mope in, did you?"

Quistis turned. Sure enough, there Seifer was, standing with his arms tucked into his pockets in all his smirking glory. "Seifer," she deadpanned. "Oh, my. You survived the car crash."

"Sorry for disappointing you then, dear Instructor. I'm afraid it was the car that didn't." He went over to where she leaned on the railing, looking out over the quiet sea. Balamb Harbour, as was the peaceful, tiny town it was situated in, had never been a place of activity even in the daytime, and it was even more silent and secluded in the night. Little could be heard besides the sounds of waves crashing against stone walls and the occasional clinking of glasses from guests in the hotel nearby.

"I know _that_ well," Quistis replied. "That was _Nida_'s car, Seifer. You had some nerve!"

"Quit lecturing me," Seifer drawled in reply.

She turned to face him. "So how was your first SeeD assignment? Trouble?"

"Could anything be trouble for I, Seifer Almasy?"

"You're right. I guess your _experience_ makes everything just about easy-peasy for you, isn't it? Well, _Seifer Almasy_," she mimicked in a similar tone, "you certainly gave us a good deal of trouble during your days as the Sorceress' Knight."

_Why am I bringing this up? _she wondered. _What purpose does it serve_?

Much to her surprise, however, Seifer threw back his head and laughed.

"I did, didn't I?"

But that was all he said. He fell immediately into silence thereafter, which was uncharacteristically passive for him.

Quistis searched his face intently, but could not tell whether he was angry or not. They continued to linger in silence for a time - her gaze now fixed on the undulating grey glass before her, his now on…? she couldn't tell – and she wondered why he hadn't left yet.

"Do you like watching the sea too, Seifer?"

He snorted. "Hell no. It's freaking boring. It puts me to sleep."

"Sleeping's not all a bad thing."

"It is, for me."

"Because it's a waste of time?"

"Yeah."

She smirked. "I guess you like looking at things that go _bing, boom, bang. _Like explosives. Rockets. War."

"Wrong," Seifer replied. "I'd prefer being the _source_ of the _bing, boom, bang_, baby."

Quistis's lips twitched into an almost-laugh. Seifer stared at her as if to enquire, _What? _

She shook her head. "You know," she said as the night breeze loosed strands of apricot from her tight bun, "I've been wanting to see what's in your head other than _bing boom bang _– and _yourself_ – since long ago, and I thought I'd stopped caring. But lately I've finally started to see it. You're… _intriguing_, Seifer."

Seifer looked hard at her for a moment before rolling his eyes to the dark sky above.

"Don't start thinking you know everything about me, Trepe. Your problem is that you think and assume too damn much for your own good. Say," he added abruptly, "it's getting way past curfew. Shouldn't we be heading back?"

Quistis raised her eyebrows. "It's a bit too late to start regaining points lost in the teachers' books, you know."

But Seifer was already trudging back the way he had come, his shoulders and legs swinging in his usual braod, careless manner, trenchcoat flapping in the wind. Quistis allowed herself a little wistful sigh of disappointment and returned her gaze to the open sea.

Then, two minutes later, he was back, with two glasses in each hand from the hotel. Quistis took one of them, her eyes dancing with a sort of near-happiness. "Are we going to have a toast to the future or something?"

"Don't be such a bloody idiot, Quistis," Seifer said, shaking the ice cubes in his drink.

"That's my line," she laughed, and clinked her glass against his anyway.

* * *

**_(in a singing manner)_**


	5. crescendo

**A/N: **FFVIII isn't mine. Once again, I'm extremely grateful to you reviewers for your support. I really hope Chapter 5 is satisfactory!_Crescendo_ is definitely not my best chapter, and some of you might find it a little too abrupt. But I just wanted to bring a few things across. There is so much irony laced in this chapter. And because there's an ugly, childish side lurking in _all_ of us, regardless of the front we put on...

* * *

**lessons in ineloquence**

**#05: c r e s c e n d o**

"Quistis."

"Hm?"

"What are we doing here?"

Seifer was half-sprawled across the floor in his room, his back and head against his bed. A beer can was in his hand. Quistis sat at his desk, shuffling through a stack of papers in a studious manner. "Devising lesson plans for hero-wannabes?" she replied without looking up.

"No… What are we _really_ doing?"

"Drinking? The way we've been doing for almost a month?"

"We're planning lessons for a wimpy wuss and her boyfriend who desperately want to pass their SeeD exam, while on the way to being drunk? Shit." He laughed.

Quistis stared down at her notes. _Do laps arund the first floor until you run into a Garden Faculty member, in which case you make a 100-metre sprint for the lift. Remember to hit the 'start' button on your watch to moniter the timing regardles of GF (not Guardian force) shoutg – _There were numerous spelling errors to go along with it, too, and Quistis _never_ made spelling errors. She shook her head and leaned back in her chair. "This gets so fun, I'm actually feeling a little bad."

"_Ex_-teacherish guilt, huh?"

"In case you haven't discovered yet, Seifer, that's _still_ my sore spot."

"I _have_ discovered, actually."

"Shut up." Quistis twirled the pencil around her slim fingers. "You know, you've been throwing hissy fits over those two kids since you agreed to 'tutor' them, but actually you secretly like them. Or your ego just couldn't turn down the opportunity to lord it over someone."

No response. Quistis resumed her writing, but half her mind was on their somewhat bizarre relationship. It was no secret that the two were on relatively good terms now – if 'good terms' meant getting into quarrels loudly and publicly on an almost daily basis. Then again, it was no secret that Quistis retreated into Seifer's dorm whenever she felt like she needed a venting buddy. The drinking part came later, and unintentionally. She found she didn't want to know how Seifer had managed to smuggle all those beer cans in.

"…Why does everyone in the world like Squall?"

Seifer's voice sliced suddenly into the scratchy silence and Quistis's heart froze for a moment. She paused to gather her thoughts.

"There, this time _you_ started it first. Not me."

"Why does everyone in the world like Squall?" Seifer repeated in an insistent manner. The tips of Quistis' fingers tingled in something like trepidation as she looked over at him. His eyes were half-closed.

"You had a little bit too much to drink tonight, Seifer," she remonished. "I take my eyes off you for a sec, and you gulp down another can."

He sat up. "What the _hell_ do you see in him, huh, Quistis?" He sounded intensely agitated, and she found she was growing colder by the minute.

"Many things," she replied in as off-handed a manner as she could manage.

Seifer finally stood up, a little shakily. He _was_ drunk. "Like _what_? What does Squall have that _I_ don't?"

Quistis closed her eyes for a long while. It had come. Somehow it didn't surprise her all that much, but she felt a little dizzy and floating, like a coconut that had plummeted into the sea from the tall reaches of its father-plant. "Maturity," she managed to say.

"I'm _older_ than Squall!" Seifer shouted.

Quistis stared at him. What he had said was so silly and miserable that she had a sad urge to laugh and cry at the same time. But she kept her voice calm, saying, "Look, Seifer, we can't even agree on what constitutes maturity. We quarrel," she gestured with her hands, "_this_ much. We don't _click _in... _that_ way. We can't be… _together._"

Seifer seemed to finally realize what he had let slip to Quistis. His shoulders slumped, and Quistis returned her attention to her work. She could let him pretend he hadn't said a word if he wanted. But before she could do anything he had kicked a pair of cans across the room with immense force.

"_Seifer_!" She got up from her chair. The cans skidded across the floor, sliding around her heels and crashing against table legs.

He was facing her, his eyes set and blazing. "Why do you have to like Squall?"

"I just do," she told him quietly, looking him square in the face.

He held her gaze for a minute before he broke it and swore, grabbing something from his shelf and hurling it onto the floor. Quistis winced at the impact. On the surface she was the epitome of calm, but somewhere within her she felt a stab of pain. "This is embarrassing, Seifer Almasy," she continued, bending to pick up the cans he had left strewn all over. "See you… around."

She left, struggling to ignore the fact that her heart was now in chaos.

* * *

**(_gradually getting louder)_**


	6. agitato

**A/N: **Hello, and thanks once again for your support on this fic (: Writing this segment was extremely difficult, so let me apologise in advance if it isn't as good as the others. I hope you'll enjoy this sixth (second-to-last...) QuistisxSeifer conversation. (eeeesh mah angst writing abilities have dropped. Bahhhh.)

I find Quistis an extremely unique Square-Enix character because she is one of the few characters who has flaws that _don't_ raise her likeability - in that way, she feels the most realistic and human. Do you?

* * *

**lessons in ineloquence**

**#06: a g i t a t o**

"This is embarassing, Quistis Trepe."

Seifer hung in his doorway, staring at the woman who had let herself into his dormitory while he was away. Quistis was now hunched over his desk with her head buried in her arms. She looked up to glance at him when he entered, and then turned away immediately in half-shame as his eyes narrowed at the redness in hers.

"I didn't think you'd reach your limit too," Seifer said, almost lazily as he slammed the door shut with the back of his sole. "What is it now? Did you lose it in front of Squall again? Or give yourself away in front of Rinoa?"

"I don't know how I'm going to face her ever again," Quistis spoke. Her voice was shaking. Seifer flopped onto his bed, looking for all the world uninterested in whatever Quistis had to say. She continued, "I don't know why I've become like this recently. I thought I'd come to terms with it all. I thought I could stay happy and contented watching him from afar. But you've been making me so confused ever since you came along..."

"Man, Quistis." Seifer sat up. "You had all the time and opportunity in the whole bloody world to get over him. But you haven't. It's not because you can't. It's because you don't want to. You hold an unrequited love like it's some pretty, bittersweet, sacred treasure. It's pitiful."

Quistis swiped at the tears that prickled to her eyes once again. "_Shut up_."

"Yeah? You don't want to hear the truth about yourself? You're sad." Seifer stood up and began pacing around the room. "Talk about maturity. Looks like you're the one who needs to do a bit of growing up."

"…You're not making me feel any better, Seifer."

"Using a nice tone, pretty, meaningless and ultimately futile words of consolation aren't listed as part of my job responsibilities. Being Quistis Trepe's personal punchbag is."

Despite herself, Quistis' lips twitched. "I'd prefer 'listening ear'." After a pause, she asked, quietly, "Is that what you really think I feel about you?"

"Guess it's a little of both," Seifer replied in a nonchalant manner. "You always look for me to have one or two fights to release your frustration, and after that you embark on your Squall-rant-of-the-day."

Quistis gave a bitter laugh. "Why on earth are you in love with a horrible person like me?"

Seifer didn't reply to this. Drying her eyes and leaning back in the chair, Quistis continued, in a tone that mixed both jest and true seriousness, "Is it because love pays no heed to reason and all that?"

"I'm not in the mood for another bout of philosophy, thanks. And don't you get too cocky, Trepe."

Silence passed for a few moments as Quistis gave herself over to contemplation.

Finally, "I'm very selfish, aren't I?" She turned around in the chair to face Seifer, who had stopped pacing and was looking out the window, pretending to be absorbed in the scenery outside. "Seifer, I'm sor-…"

"_Don't say it_."

He had spun around to meet her gaze, and that hard look in his blazing eyes was more than enough to render her speechless for that moment. "Don't you ever say it," he repeated.

Quistis stared at him for a long while before she turned back around. Her gaze fell helplessly on the objects that framed Seifer's desk. A penknife, beer cans, hair gel, a comb, tennis racquets, a shirt – (that was the limit of his tidiness, the best he could do to make room on his worktable for his most frequent visitor) - his notebook that he never wrote in, _her_ pen, balls of _her_ writing paper…

She blinked away remmnants of the tears that every moment threatened to leap to her eyes once more and recollected herself.

There had been an offer open to her and most other high-ranking SeeDs, and all that was left was to sign her name on the list. All that was left was _Yes _or _No. _In the seemingly brief span of twenty minutes, she'd found her answer.

She took a deep breath and stood up.

"I guess I should go. Thank you… for _everything_. From the depths of my heart, I thank you…"

Expressing gratitude for Seifer Almasy was something she would never have dreamt of doing until now. It was so laughable before. Unthinkable.

"Is this some kind of stereotypical farewell scene?" Typical Seifer. He had obviously caught a hint of something _else _in the tone of her voice. And something deep within Quistis smiled at that.

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess so."

"Because of Squall?"

"It's not just that!" Her eyes flashed.

"Then it's because of some altruistic, noble reason, huh? Like, you think you shouldn't be hurting me anymore or something?" There was the slightest tinge of sarcasm in his tone.

She clenched her fists and said, very quietly, "It's not that, either." _Oh, Seifer._

"Well."

There was a long, pregnant pause as the two faced each other across the room, his gaze hard and intent and searching, hers resolute. "Good luck, Trepe," Seifer said finally.

This time a smile did reach her eyes and her lips at Seifer's reference to an old memory. "Good luck, Seifer."

And so Quistis departed in more ways than one. Within the week she was gone, sent on a long-term SeeD mission to Winhill for the restoration and revitalisation of the area. Seifer did not get to see her again.

* * *

**_(in a frenzied, passionate manner)_**


	7. ritardando

**A/N: **FF8 belongs to Square-Enix. No, this is _not _the last chapter. -cackles- I'm evil, I know. This is only a teaser, a prologue-of-sorts to the conclusion. And yes, it _was_ planned from the beginning. I found that I had to insert this to tie things up and settle problems with pacing. I hope this second-to-last part of the fic tickles your fancy.

Also, I'm sorry for the long wait. I've gotten re-employed recently and it cuts my spare time by 80 per cent... :( Much thanks once again for those wonderful reviews I really don't deserve. You all make my day.

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**lessons in ineloquence**

**#07: r i t a r d a n d o**

Footsteps pounded and a door crashed open. Seifer Almasy was rudely and violently awoken from a light dream in which a pair of blue eyes surfaced again and again.

"_The hell_...? Can't you see that I'm _sleeping_?"

At first he'd despised the expression that lay in them. Later he came to pity them. He never could relate to that air of measured calm she always had about her. He never could relate to her level of self-repression, the way she bottled everything up within so that only her eyes spoke volumes. For him.

"Oh! W-We're sorry, we're sorry, we didn't realize... Raijin says you never sleep..."

"That's... that's because Raijin sleeps _excessively_, you _dimwits_. What is it?"

He'd enjoyed that sense of power he got from being able to read her every thought and every whim so accurately.

"We... wanted to thank you for helping us to pass our SeeD exam."

"You already did that. Three times last week and the day before yesterday, as a matter of fact. Are you two morons? Get lost."

Until he realized the power those eyes had over him, too. He didn't know exactly when _that_ had happened. It just did. His insides ripped in something like fury when those blue eyes lingered on his for only _that_ short little while and then wandered to settle on… _something_ else. They tore him apart everytime.

"And… we thought you might like to take a break b-because you've been looking really tired lately. So we're sponsoring a-a train ticket to your preferred holiday destination..."

_That _finally got Seifer's attention. He looked from one to the other. The girl was chewing one end of her pigtail in abject nervousness. She was clutching her boyfriend's hand; _he_ still looked as sick and skinny as ever. He wondered if he'd been like them at their age – kids who didn't have a clue of what they were _really _doing.

Probably.

He had replayed their final meeting over and over againin his mind. He could still recall it perfectly. And unless he was very much mistaken, what he had read from that hatingly-addictive blue gaze was:

_Wait. All you have to do is wait._

_They _were sponsoring him a train ticket to a holiday destination of his choice? Ri-i-ight. He scared the living daylights out of them.

Seifer leant back, threw back his head and laughed. "Alright. Give me Winhill.

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**_(gradually getting slower)_**


	8. fine

**A/N: **Hello all. Yes, I'm finally done with this piece of fanfiction. Sorry I took so long, but work was eating up my brain and I was being exceptionally picky about this last chapter... there are segments which I wrestled with and which, even now, still refuse to be 'correct'. Blarrgh. I do hope you'll still enjoy it, and at least drop me a long constructive review even if you don't. Arigatou gozaimasu for all your support! -bows- This won't be the last FF8 fic I ever write, not when Seifer and Quistis have taken up permanent residence in my heart...

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**lessons in ineloquence**

**#08: f i n e**

Winhill had always irked Seifer. The place bored him to death all the time. It was filled with people who spent their days painting scenery and staring out windows, waiting for the time to pass because there was _nothing _to be done around. The air was always thick with flower fragrance and every single old lady he stopped to interrogate (for there were barely any young people) wanted him to compliment their flower arrangements. Each of these old ladies had a penchant for sighing about the recent influx of people into Winhill, and they made a point on remarking on Seifer's not-too-friendly appearance. By the sixth interview, he could barely restrain himself from picking up a vase of sunflowers and dashing it onto the floor, just to see how the lady's expression would look like.

The restoration project _had _worked somewhat, he supposed – there _were _more people – mostly SeeDs who gawked at the sight of him and then ran and hid while he stormed towards them to inquire of Quistis Trepe's whereabouts. There were more buildings, more kids – the hotel rooms were occupied, for once, and the café looked livelier, didn't look as though it were on the verge of collapse anymore.

Seifer was mentally half cursing and half thanking the heavens that Winhill was such a tiny area when he finally reached the cliff that overlooked the lake. The activity over on the other side was the most bustling – apparently the authorities were thinking of building some sort of lakeside resort here in Winhill to attrack tourists. One the cliffside, though, it was still empty and quiet enough to watch and feel the wind in your hair in peace. This was what Quistis Trepe seemed to be doing at the moment, sitting on one of the wooden steps that were part of the stairway that led you to the bank.

"Hello, Quistis," Seifer spoke quietly.

She turned and stared, wearing an expression of radiant astonishment that he was sure had never surfaced on her face before. Then her features spread into a smile.

"Hello, Seifer."

The wind was blowing tousled strands of hair across her lips, eyes, cheeks; he realized that her bun was much looser than usual. Otherwise, she didn't look that much different from when they had last seen each other in his dormitory – but no - she _was _different somehow. He couldn't quite place it – unless he was very much mistaken, she looked peculiarly like – like _Rinoa _– she looked _free – _

"It's been a long time..."

- it took his breath away.

Quistis nodded up at him, patting the space next to her. "Come over here."

He obeyed, his boots thudding loudly and in a grumpy manner on creaky wooden stairs. He reached the step above hers, but didn't sit immediately. "This whole 'holiday' thing was your own stupid idea, wasn't it?"

"Perceptive as always, Seifer. Did you realize from the beginning?"

"Not really..." He was staring down at her fiercely. "What's with _you_? Why do you always have to test me?"

It was with a matter-of-fact tone that Quistis replied, "Because I really, really wanted to see you. And I didn't want you thinking that I was being whiny and needy all over again. I wanted to see you - if you really wanted to see me." She laughed wryly. "I have my moments of insecurity, you know."

Ther was a long pause before Seifer said gruffly, "That's a _total_ understatement" and sank down heavily – as though his legs could no longer support him - into the space next to her.

Warmth surged through Quistis. He seemed overwhelmed; he didn't meet her eyes; only stared into the distance with that same semi-angry expression as though he was crossed with whatever lay on the other shore. An odd silence hung between them, and Quistis took the time to examine Seifer's side-profile. He didn't look any different, of course. Did _she _look different? She hoped so, hoped that he could see that she couldn't keep a smile off her face at the moment.

Quistis cleared her throat. "I forget my manners, don't I? ...How have you been?"

"Great, of course. Nothing daunts me."

She raised an eyebrow, her lip twitching in laughter. "Nothing? Not even the fact that your SeeD rank has dropped to nearly zero for misbehaviour and showing off? I've been hearing many things about you from Selphie."

He rounded on her. "Is this all about insulting me every chance you get again?"

"Wrong, mister," Quistis replied breezily. How she had missed their… _conversations_…! "Actually, I need a shopping companion – an escort of sorts - to Deling. I need something to wear to Squall and Rinoa's engagement party. I figured you'd be a good consultant, since you have so much _experience_ with ladies."

"What an excuse. Fujin's not much of a lady, you know..." He fixed her with a hard gaze. "You aren't bothered?"

"About?"

"The engagement party." Flowers bloomed everywhere in Winhill, Seifer noted, much to his annoyance; they even sprouted from the black rocks around them that framed the lake.

"Oh. Of course not."

"You sure?"

"I'm thrilled with your level of confidence in me, Seifer."

"You know I have a damn good reason to wonder."

She crossed her legs. "You're probably right. It was really difficult for me when I first came here," she added softly, almost like an afterthought. "I did a bit of snooping around in my spare time when I was here, and I found out that this place's where Squall was born."

Seifer rolled his eyes, though his voice was serious. "I think I know what's coming."

"Are you going to listen to me or not?" Quistis demanded in indignance, but Seifer could tell that she was only half-annoyed. He threw her a look of utmost carelessness. In response she straightened, shot him a glare, folded her hands across her lap in a holier-than-thou position – on purpose, Seifer knew – and continued. "I came here, determined to kick the habit of thinking about Squall and being in love with him, and here I was, surrounded by bits and pieces of things that would bring him to mind... I was frightened, and I wanted to back out."

The pretentious, prim tone had slipped out of her voice.

"And then I thought of you, Seifer. The way you never did back out, even when you were scared... Some old sage who said that it's choices which define who we are was probably right. Sometimes our feelings and our decisions can lie in separate spheres."

Seifer snorted in slight derision. "Philosophy again."

Quistis shrugged. "So… I stayed on. Time and distance from Squall, from you, did me a lot of good. I was able to settle down and re-organize everything inside me, sort out how I really felt..." She looked at him. "You changed me, Seifer. Did you think you didn't? You're as unconfident as ever."

"And you were too damn confident," he said quietly, "so confident that every little thing shattered you, and over time it happened so much that nobody knew..."

Below them, gentle sun rays lured an old man to sleep. He lay almost spread-eagled on the tiny platform built on the water, meant for the rare fishing-hobbyists that resided amongst Winhill's already pathetically-tiny population. The book propped open on his belly turned pages in the cool, faintly-scented breeze.

"When Selphie informed me of the engagement, I called up Rinoa immediately and congratulated them over the phone. And then I felt so free... I waited for as long as I could until I – well - _sent_ for you, you know? It could have driven me crazy."

A bitter smirk. "So I'm the rebound?"

"You really like to put things in the most unpleasant way possible, Seifer. Not an idealist, are you?"

"Yeah. Not anymore."

"We'd make a fine couple, though..."

"Perpetually bickering? Sounds _fun_."

"That's part of our charm, isn't it? It'd be scary. We probably wouldn't be blissfully happy 24/7. But then it'd be exciting. With a lot of bing boom bam. We might turn Balamb Garden upside-down. Wouldn't you like to try? Even a little?"

"You realize how bloody ironic this is, Quistis? You were the one who rejected me outright first, and now you're the one making the proposal. What if I don't want to, huh?"

It felt chilly all of a sudden, but Quistis managed to keep her voice light. "I would seriously consider setting Ifrit on your room. Or bribing Cid to bring you down to SeeD Rank zero and expelling you from Garden. Find some way to make beer prices soar… Seriously speaking, Seifer, I don't know. Are you asking me what I'll do if you turn me away? Guess what, Seifer – that thought's never really occurred to me. But goodness knows I completely deserve it. My behaviour was deplorable and I know it."

She paused to look at him directly in the eyes. "And what _can_ I do other than get on with it? _You _tell me."

That blue gaze wasn't wavering anymore. It was true. _She _was true. He leant back suddenly against the steps, dropping all his weight on them as though he had been sucked dry of all strength – he _did _feel so. Like before, another strange wave of sensation, akin to relief, washed and overpowered him.

"Fine, I accept," he growled, putting an arm over his eyes. "I don't have a choice, do I? You never gave me a choice, woman."

"You don't have to make me sound like a tyrant when you're really one yourself," she returned. He could hear the laughter in her voice, barely suppressed. He felt the same way himself.

The old man below them hadn't stirred from his sleep. He was snoring, his mouth so wide open that he looked ready to swallow the entire sky. Across the lake, Quistis espied a number of people dragging out a boat and fitting it with sails. She should have been down there long ago as part of that cohort, offering suggestions for the boat's name and giving instructions… but she wouldn't have missed Seifer – no – Seifer-_and-Quistis - _for the world.

He was just what the doctor ordered, wasn't he? Practically speaking (for Quistis was really quite fond of practicality), they _fit_. He needed her to toe him in line, didn't he? And she needed him for his daily, less-than-comforting words of truth. She had missed them, missed _him, _him who knew her too well,with an intensity she knew she had never experienced, had never known she was capable of. They were a match made in heaven, that joyful realm which a certain sleeping old man below seemed so ready to devour right now.

"...Whatcha smiling for?"

"People smile when they're happy, Seifer... or didn't they teach you that in grade school? And I was just thinking that you'd have to live off me, since I'm a SeeD rank S millionairess and you're..."

He straightened. "SHUT_ UP_."

"Gladly." The laughter broke free from Quistis, mirthful, inhibited; it loosed itself on the wind as she leant in for a kiss, the gleam in his eyes exactly reflecting that in hers.

* * *

_**(the end...  
of the beginning)**_


End file.
